Safety system for roofs and related methods

ABSTRACT

A safety system for a building roof may include a plurality of anchors to be connected to the building roof at spaced apart locations, at least one frame member, a net connected to the at least one frame member, and a plurality of straps each defining a loop extending between a respective anchor and the at least one frame member, with a portion of the loop being connected to the net. The safety system may further include a plurality of standoff members to be positioned between the building roof and the at least one frame member at spaced apart locations to hold the at least one frame member away from the building roof, and disengage from the building roof when the net is under load so that the net wraps around the load and the straps hang from the anchors.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to safety devices, and more particularly, to safety devices for rooftop work and related methods.

BACKGROUND

Every year many roofers and homeowners are seriously injured or even die from residential rooftop falls. Moreover, with the rise in residential rooftop solar module system installations, the number of incidents continues to increase. While there are various safety protection kits on the market, they are most often too expensive, too cumbersome to use on the roof, or too difficult and time consuming to assemble/disassemble by their users. When all of these factors combine, many chose to just take the risks and not use any safety precautions.

As such, further developments in safety devices for rooftop applications may be desirable.

SUMMARY

A safety system for a building roof may include a plurality of anchors to be connected to the building roof at spaced apart locations, at least one frame member, a net connected to the at least one frame member, and a plurality of straps each defining a loop extending between a respective anchor and the at least one frame member, with a portion of the loop being connected to the net. The safety system may further include a plurality of standoff members to be positioned between the building roof and the at least one frame member at spaced apart locations to hold the at least one frame member away from the building roof, and disengage from the building roof when the net is under load so that the net wraps around the load and the straps hang from the anchors.

In an example implementation, the anchors may comprise anchor rings. In accordance with another example, the anchors may comprise roof ridge hooks. The bottom portions of the strap loops may be connected to the net across a surface thereof, for example. In some embodiments, the standoff members may be jointed.

In one embodiment, the at least one frame member may comprise a first frame member connected to a first side of the net and a second frame member connected to a second side of the net opposite the first side. Moreover, the first frame member may be positioned adjacent the building roof and the second frame member may be held away from the building roof by the standoff members. By way of example, the standoff members may comprise at least one of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), metal strips, and wood.

A related safety device for a building having a building roof may include at least one frame member, a net connected to the at least one frame member, and a plurality of straps each defining a loop extending between a respective anchor connected to the building roof and the at least one frame member, with a portion of the loop being connected to the net. The safety device may further include a plurality of standoff members to be positioned between the building roof and the at least one frame member at spaced apart locations to hold the at least one frame member away from the building roof, and disengage from the building roof when the net is under load so that the net wraps around the load and the straps hang from the anchors.

A related method may include connecting a plurality of anchors to a building roof at spaced apart locations, and connecting a plurality of straps each to a respective anchor. Each strap may define a loop extending between the respective anchor and at least one frame member, and a portion of the loop may be connected to a net. The method may further include positioning a plurality of standoff members between the building roof and the at least one frame member at spaced apart locations to hold the at least one frame member away from the building roof, and disengage from the building roof when the net is under load so that the net wraps around the load and the straps hang from the anchors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a safety net system in accordance with an example embodiment installed on a residential roof.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the straps and breakaway poles of the safety net system of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a roof ridge hook which may be used with the safety net system of FIG. 1 in some example embodiments.

FIG. 4 is an end view of the safety net system of FIG. 1 in an example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments are shown. However, many different embodiments may be used, and thus the description should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1-2 , the present disclosure provides a safety system for building roofs, such as the illustrated pitched or sloped roof 31 on a residential home 32. In the illustrated embodiment, the safety system is a breakaway safety net system 30 which helps overcome the above-described technical problems with conventional rooftop safety systems. The system 30 may also be used for commercial jobsites in some implementations, and it may also be used with other types of roofs as well (e.g., flat roofs).

Referring additionally to FIG. 4 , The system 30 includes two net poles or members 33, 34 which make a frame for a net 35 that extends between and wraps around them (similar to a cot/gurney configuration). Straps 36 loop underneath and over top of the net 35 and connect to a respective safety anchor ring 40 connected to the roof (e.g., screwed into a rafter with lag screws 41). More particularly, bottom portions 39 of the strap 36 loops are connected to the net 35 across a surface thereof. For example, the straps 36 may be sewn to or fused with the net 35 in some embodiments.

A standoff pole or member 37 extends between the roof 31 and the far or outer net pole 34, to extend the outer net pole and netting 35 away from the building 32 until a load (e.g., person, heavy equipment, etc.) falls into it. Then the standoff poles 37 collapse, and the net 35 cradles the person or object therein by the straps 36 which are anchored to the rooftop 31. By way of example, the standoff poles 37 may be made of PVC, and the standoff poles may be jointed (e.g., PVC union 38) or hinged in the middle to facilitate collapsing under load. In other embodiments, the standoff members 37 may be flexible metal strips, wood, or other suitable materials. The poles 33, 34 may be made of similar materials, and since the straps 36 bear the weight of the load the poles may be lightweight for ease of assembly and transportation. The net 35 may be made out of various materials such as polyester, fabric, nylon, etc.

The system 30 relatively easily installs to the rooftop 31 edge with the use of an anchor, such as the safety anchor rings 40 attached with lag screws 41. In some embodiments, the anchor rings 40 can be hidden under shingles and removed after a job (e.g., solar panel installation, etc.) is completed, or left in place for subsequent jobs. In other embodiments, the straps 36 may be connected to a roof ridge hook 45, such as the one shown in FIG. 3 , instead of (or in addition to) the use of safety anchor rings 40. Other suitable strap connection points or anchors may be used in different embodiments as well, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

In an example implementation, the safety net system 30 may be sectional, such as in six to eight foot long sections that can be installed in a modular fashion to cover some or all of the side of the roof 31. By way of example, the safety net 35 may be five feet across, and the standoff poles 37 may hold the pole 35 in a rage or three to four feet away from the edge of the roof, although different dimensions of netting and net sections may be used in different embodiments.

In some embodiment, the inner net pole 33 may be omitted. In another example embodiment, the standoff poles 37 may be jointed as noted above and connected between respective ends of the poles 33, 34 to define a rectangular net frame therewith. In this regard, when the net 35 receives a load, the standoff poles collapse and disengage from the roof 31, in that they no longer apply pressure to the roof to hold the outer net pole 34 out away from the roof.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to the mind of one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings, which are provided by way of example. Therefore, it is understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that other modifications and embodiments are intended to be included. 

1. A safety system for a building roof, the safety system comprising: a plurality of anchors to be connected to the building roof at spaced apart locations; at least one frame member; a net connected to the at least one frame member; a plurality of straps each defining a loop extending between a respective anchor and the at least one frame member, a portion of the loop being connected to the net; and a plurality of standoff members to be positioned between the building roof and the at least one frame member at spaced apart locations to hold the at least one frame member away from the building roof, and disengage from the building roof when the net is under load so that the net wraps around the load and the straps hang from the anchors.
 2. The safety system of claim 1 wherein the anchors comprise anchor rings.
 3. The safety system of claim 1 wherein the anchors comprise roof ridge hooks.
 4. The safety system of claim 1 wherein the bottom portions of the straps loop are connected to the net across a surface thereof.
 5. The safety system of claim 1 wherein the standoff members are jointed.
 6. The safety system of claim 1 wherein the at least one frame member comprises a first frame member connected to a first side of the net and a second frame member connected to a second side of the net opposite the first side, the first frame member to be positioned adjacent the building roof and the second frame member to be held away from the building roof by the standoff members.
 7. The safety system of claim 1 wherein the standoff members comprise at least one of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), metal strips, and wood.
 8. A safety device for a building having a building roof, the safety device comprising: at least one frame member; a net connected to the at least one frame member; a plurality of straps each defining a loop extending between a respective anchor connected to the building roof and the at least one frame member, a portion of the loop being connected to the net; and a plurality of standoff members to be positioned between the building roof and the at least one frame member at spaced apart locations to hold the at least one frame member away from the building roof, and disengage from the building roof when the net is under load so that the net wraps around the load and the straps hang from the anchors.
 9. The safety device of claim 8 wherein the anchors comprise anchor rings.
 10. The safety device of claim 8 wherein the anchors comprise roof ridge hooks.
 11. The safety device of claim 8 wherein the bottom portions of the strap loops are connected to the net across a surface thereof.
 12. The safety device of claim 8 wherein the standoff members are jointed.
 13. The safety device of claim 8 wherein the at least one frame member comprises a first frame member connected to a first side of the net and a second frame member connected to a second side of the net opposite the first side, the first frame member to be positioned adjacent the building roof and the second frame member to be held away from the building roof by the standoff members.
 14. The safety device of claim 8 wherein the standoff members comprise at least one of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), metal strips, and wood.
 15. A method comprising: connecting a plurality of anchors to a building roof at spaced apart locations; connecting a plurality of straps each to a respective anchor, each strap defining a loop extending between the respective anchor and at least one frame member, and a portion of the loop being connected to a net; and positioning a plurality of standoff members between the building roof and the at least one frame member at spaced apart locations to hold the at least one frame member away from the building roof, and disengage from the building roof when the net is under load so that the net wraps around the load and the straps hang from the anchors.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the anchors comprise anchor rings.
 17. The method of claim 15 wherein the anchors comprise roof ridge hooks.
 18. The method of claim 15 wherein the bottom portions of the strap loops are connected to the net across a surface thereof.
 19. The method of claim 15 wherein the standoff members are jointed.
 20. The method of claim 15 wherein the at least one frame member comprises a first frame member connected to a first side of the net and a second frame member connected to a second side of the net opposite the first side; and wherein positioning further comprises positioning the first frame member adjacent the building roof and the second frame member so that it is held away from the building roof by the standoff members. 